Single Cask Club
Tasting Notes
October 2025
Two drams that provide fantastic value this month, an 18-year-old that comes in at less than £60 with the club discount and an autumnal sherry bomb.
Our Ballater project is slowly building momentum which is very fun to see, and I look forward to doing the occasional video from that shop also.
On a more sobering note, next month I am going to have to do something that I haven’t done during the 4 years of the club. Put the price up... I’m sorry, we’ve tried to absorb as many rising costs as possible but to bring the best quality liquid we can we’re going to have a small increase. It will be increasing by one whole pound per month, £1. This will allow us to continue providing you with great drams, the quality you're used to. This increase will begin on the 15th of November 2025. I have spoken to a few of your fellow club members in the shop and aired the idea as I wanted to make sure it seemed reasonable.
Remember to use the code "SCC10" for a 10% discount on all our whiskies
Dram 1 - Thompson Bros Highland 18-year-old
Thompson Bros Highland 18-year-old. The Thompson Bros Phil and Simon came to the public eye when they brought the Dornoch Castle Whisky Bar to the forefront, making it one of the very best whisky bars in the world. Here, their passion for spirit and whisky really built, and they also met some of the people that helped bring their next idea of a distillery to life. Starting out of the old Fire Station in Dornoch and now being successful in a crowd funding project for the new distillery which will be named Struie Distillery, named after the hill above it.
So, what's the whisky?!? An unnamed Highland distillery that produces a smokey spirit? What may that be? Maybe an Ardmore or a Ruadh Maor – a smokey Glenturret.
Bottled at 48.5% naturally colored with no chill filtration. Lovely.
Hazelnuts, gristy smokey malt on the nose which turns more aromatic and rosemary with an oiliness lapping the sides.
The palate shows peat in a far more apparent fashion. Its front and centre, powerful yet not overpowering. Heather honey, salty capers with a glorious earthy moreish lingering spice.
The finish has more wood smokey elements but now far saltier in style, peanut butter, earthiness and a settling peat. 18 years of age,
£65 on the shelf - £58.50 to you. Ripper.
Dram 2 - Dalmunach 2015 – Oloroso Sherry.
Our pals at Morrison Scotch Distillers down near Perth again. Family owned for generations, previous owners or Bowmore distillery and now with a distillery producing spirit and filling casks themselves at their distillery on the farm which will be called – Aberargie. Next year will see the first of this spirit being released and of course as members you will have the first access to this.
So this dram – Dalmunach. Owned by Pernod Ricard built on the old site of the Imperial distillery in Speyside, right on the north banks of the middle river. A big powerhouse of a distillery making a big beefy spirit to fill cask that’ll take flavor from active casks and can be shown well as a younger dram. This was distilled in 2015 and bottled in 2024 as an 8-year-old at 47.5% naturally colored and without chill filtration.
It’s unapologetic this one. Raisins, brown sugar and dates. Brandy baskets and Soreen Malt Loaf. It’s as classic an Oloroso Sherried Speyside as you’ll come by, but its time in cask is not just a flash in the pan, it has the mouthfeel developed from a good few years growing and becoming increasingly moreish.
£56 on the shelf – £50.40 after discount. Banger.
September 2025
A well-received August box which is great, the latest release from Little Brown Dog has been thoroughly enjoyed! Some might well be onto the second, or even the third bottle of the Campbeltown Mega Blend. The Wee Mongrel I think is incredible and there still is a couple of them available.
Springbank allocation was poor – shock horror. We’ll put an email out about this but I’m sorry it's not very much. I do try my best, but I am continuously denied... it’ll take more than that to break my spirit!
Positive notes, the Ballater shop’s planning has been suggested for approval, and I am slowly beginning to build a collection for it. More space for Whisky and of course the tasting room/whisky bar! Both drams this month are from Highland Park, bottled as Whitlaw & Orkney. Orcadian peat is the real difference here; it's made of sphagnum moss and heather with no trees unlike the mainland, you don’t get the highly volatile notes like you do from Islay or West Coast peats. I was asked at a tasting last week if the peat on Islay was like that because of the Viking ships that might be on the land... a serious question... I thought a rather funny take.
Around 20% of the malt used for the fermentation is the peated malt from Highland Parks very own kilns on Orkney, but the phenol levels are very light, creating an incredible delicate style of smoke.
Both drams are also from Signatory Vintage. Born by Andrew Symington in 1988 after he worked for the legendary Prestonfield House, now the Edradour Distillery and this indy bottling line – Signatory Vintage. Andrew Symington does polarise people's opinions, but it would be boring if we all thought the same!
Remember to use the code "SCC10" for a 10% discount on all our whiskies
Dram 1 - Signatory | Whitlaw 10 Year Old
Whitlaw 2014, from Rechar Butts. Like STR a rejuvenated Sherry Butt distilled in September 2014 and bottled September 2024 at 46%. Light and playful and an Autumnal dram, hence why both are Orcadian!
The nose is quite hazelnut, honey and fragrant peat with a liquorice – an almost sweet & sour sauce style to it balanced by an orange zest oak note. The palate is sherbert, lemon drops and again has this soft wood/peat smoke rolling around in the background. The finish is apricots, vanilla and gentle wood chip oak.
Shelf - £50.00
Members - £45.00
Dram 2 -Signatory Orkney 14 Year Old HP
Orkney (HP) 2001 Palo Cortado 14-year-old at 57.1%. Having been finished in 1st Fill Palo Cortado Sherry Hogsheads (240L Barrels) I know some like funk, I feel this has a decent amount of it in a controlled manor.
What is Palo Cortado? It's a bit of an oddity that only happens in 1-2% of grapes picked for sherry. Initially aged under the Veil de Flor which is film of yeast that grows naturally over the top of the wine preventing from over oxidisation but still allowing fermentation before fortification.
Sometimes something goes wrong with this, and it loses the Veil de Flor, so the wine is then fortified and becomes Palo Cortado - a mixture between the funky nuttiness of Oloroso and the crisper drier styles of Amontillado and Fino.
The nose of this is toffee salty apricot jam with this lovely funky viscosity which leads to a clear cured meat savoury element. The palate is salted cashew nuts. The real funk is in the salt department, and this cultured salted butter on sourdough bready butteriness which goes to burnt toffee and cinnamon spice. Finish rolls on with more of the same, I’m finding this very moreish. The oak funk bites down the side of the tongue at the end, really rather nice.
Shelf - £57.00
Members - £51.30
August 2025
As promised, here they are - A Campbeltown MEGA blend and last years best blended whisky, but a year older from the guys at Little Brown Dog. A first for the club using 2 blended whiskies in a month's release, but I don’t think these need any justification whatsoever! In this release, they also have the last batch of Wee Mongrel, which is a 22-year-old sherried blend at £88!
Enjoy that sunshine and drams!
Remember to use the code "SCC10" for a 10% discount on all our whiskies
Dram 1 - Drookit Dug Batch 3
Best Blended Whisky at the Scottish Whisky awards 2024, but now a year older, sat in fairly dormant casks for the past year, and I think this is even better than before. This whisky has come about by using some older casks that have naturally dropped below 40% Vol, and then some younger spirit has been used to pump this back up to over 40% resulting in this Drookit Dug Batch 3.
The juice in this is between 9 and 40 years old... but as we know, Scottish Whisky laws mean the age statement must be the AYS (Age Youngest Stock). Bottled at 45.2% with 500 bottles being released, this, to me, is one of the most drinkable drams going. The nose is full of hazelnuts, honeycomb, waxy toasted oak, bringing vanilla to almost canned peaches. The palate is delicate, really showing the older whisky well, making this eminently drinkable, and at £45 on the shelf, it knocks my socks off.
Shelf - £45
Members - £40.50
Dram 2 -THE ALL CAMBELTOWN MEGA BLEND
We all know the difficulties in buying Sprinkbank and getting our hands on other Kintyre's peninsula drams is really quite the challenge, and this throws that all up in the air, saying, have them all, and have them at an amazing price. The label is 3 cows as a nod to the dairy industry down in Campbeltown, as well as this includes whisky from all 3 working distilleries there currently.
The set list on this is as follows: 9-year-old Glen Scotia, 12-year-old Kilkerran, 16-year-old Kilkerran, 12-year-old Sprinkbank, 21-year-old Sprinkbank and it’s sub £60... Andrew & Chris are the boys!
The nose – Green apple Sherbert, salty peanuts, funky dunnage oak to salted toffee and warm driftwood wafts.
The palate has more of that funk, more toffee apples, and now with a tropical fruit element. Honeyed granola and orchard fruit pear drops with a liquorice wind that comes and goes throughout the taste.
The finish has a warming spice at 56.2% Vol, it’s no real surprise, but this is so well balanced, but the coastal oiliness and wood shavings element that round this off so well.
Belter. Such a joy to have things like this when whisky so often becomes vastly expensive, or the quantity of it there just isn’t enough. Thankfully, here, being local and working with local guys, we’ve been able to buy quite a lot, which is fantastic.
Enjoy. I certainly did do the tasting notes and will be taking a couple home!
Shelf - £59
Members - £53.10
July 2025
The month ahead brings more exciting releases, one I should mention is the next Little Brown Dog offering. There is a certain distillery in the Campbelltown region that is terribly hard to get whisky from and within this next release there will be something from there! I had planned for it to be a dram in this month's releases, but it just hasn't quite got here in time. I’m going to get lots of it in, so it will hopefully be available for more than 30 seconds! Watch for the emails, you’ll be the first to know!
Enjoy that sunshine and drams!
Remember to use code "SCC10" for 10% discount on all our whisky's
Dram 1 - Dalmunach 2018 First-Fill Bourbon - Morrison Distillers
One more from our pals, independent bottlers Morrison Distillers in Perth. From Dalmunach Distillery, built on the site of Imperial distillery on the Spey in 2014 after Pernod Ricard bought the site in 2013, bringing Imperial's 100-year history to an end. After some consultation of whether to rebuild or knock down and start again, they choose the latter. A big producer making a heavy, meat & malty spirit running 16 washback's and 8 stills!
I think Dalmunach is great, the spirit style is for blends such as Chivas Regal, Ballantines or Royal Salute so it loves an active cask – first-fill bourbon or sherry. This was distilled in 2018 and filled into first-fill bourbon at 47.5% ABV with an outrun of 642 bottles as a 6-year-old. A light and playful summer dram coming in at sub £50. Banana cream, green apples with a glorious nuttiness that becomes more savoury in style towards the finish. Light, fresh – great.
Shelf - £54
Members - £48.60
Dram 2 -Thompson Bros - Torabhaig Disilltery - Aged over 7 years
Another first for the club! Thompson Bros in Dornoch - we’ve finally managed to start getting some stock from them! Who are they? Independant bottlers and distillers up in Dornoch, North of Inverness founded in 2016.
This dram is also another global first independent bottling of a new distillery on Skye called Torabhaig, Skye’s second distillery after Talisker. Born from an idea years ago of Sir Iain Noble who bought 20,000 acres on Skye in 1972. Noble had planned in the early 2000’s to covert the Torabhaig steading into a distillery but sadly never achieved the dream before he passed away in 2010. This all happened around the time when Mossburn Distillers, a subsidiary of Dutch drinks company Marussia Beverages, was planning to build its own distillery on the island.
The idea of renovating something half done hadn’t previously come to mind but after some research they decided that Farm Steading of Nobles Torabhaig farm was the perfect location. Work started in 2013, and the stills first produced spirit in 2017 producing a medium weight, medium peated style spirit. This is achieved by a long fermentation 100 + hours in wooden washback's and a very slow still run to increase the copper contact and create the fruit forward spirit. These casks were filled in May 2018 and bottled June 2025 at a natural cask strength of 57.1% ABV after a full maturation in first-fill bourbon barrels and bottled as a 7-year-old.
The nose is peppery pastrami, smoky peat and a coastal salinity while being soothed by hints of tangy orange and occasional tropical fruit. The palate is sweeter than expected but delivers a gloriously earth peat smoke/sea salt/buttery mixture that rolls around your mouth. The finish is as expected with something as pronounced as this. Long, smoky but subtle, there is caramel and more salinity that brings balance to the smoke keeping it wafting on. A smoky summery dram. Would be excellent with some BBQ'd steaks!
Shelf - £65
Members - £58.50
June 2025
This month I am doing something a little different and using the same distillery for both drams. There is so much noise just now about GlenAllachie, with the 12-year-old recently being named as the ‘outright best whisky in the world’.
Glenallachie was developed off the back of the American booming whisky demand in the 1960’s and in 1967 Glenallachie was built by Scottish & Newcastle Breweries distilling subsidiary – Mackinlay's. It was designed and used mainly for blending with a heavy base spirit. Ownership of the distillery changed hands a few times in the 80’s between Invergordon Distillers, Campbell Distillers and Pernod Ricard, finally landing with Chivas Brothers who were the owners up until 2017 where Glenallachie was sold to Bill Walker and his consortium.
During Billy’s ownership of his previous distilleries – Glenglassaugh, BenRiach & GlenDronach, one obvious change was the capital letter in the middle of the names, and this is where The GlenAllachie started. Billy is a legend in the industry and is using GlenAllachie to showcase his 50 + years of knowledge on cask and wood management.
Apart from the arbitrary inclusion of the capital letter, Billy made some other change which had an impact on the whisky. Changing the length of the fermentation to 100 hours and reducing production from 3.9 million litres to 1 million to ensure the best quality spirit is always produced. A long fermentation and the use of the dumpy stills with horizontal lyne arms help create the gloriously malty, fruity and muscular spirit which loves taking on cask influence. One of the other things Billy did to get complete control of his cask at the distillery, was to re-rack every single cask, all 22,000 of them! So, I think technically speaking there might no longer be a true single cask GlenAllachie left at the distillery however I do know there is single cask GlenAllachie out there because we have a cask of it! It’ll be coming as a shop bottling in good time!
Springbank’s next release is June so do keep your eyes peels for that. Enjoy that sunshine and drams!
Remember to use code "SCC10" for 10% discount on all our whisky's
Dram 1 - Glenallachie 11 Year Old 2012 – Small Batch Edition #8 | Signatory Vintage
Dram 1 this month is a Signatory Vintage bottling of GlenAllachie which has been aged in Oloroso Sherry Casks.
Distilled in 2012 and bottled 2nd April 2024 as an 11-year-old at 48.2% VOL. Oloroso is a dark and nutty style of medium sherry.
The nose is full of raisin, fruit cake and dark chocolate with a bit of spice, cinnamon and orange peel. The palate is big, chewy, malty, very classic sherried style balanced by the spicy ‘oakiness’ that follows. It becomes more orange with a raisin softness and warm tannin on the finish.
Shelf price - £73.00
Club price - £65.70
Dram 2 -The GlenAllachie Sinteis Series Part I: 2014 Chinquapin & PX Cask Matured
Dram 2 is from GlenAllachie’s Sinteis Series – Sinteis is the Scottish Gaelic word for synthesis and the idea is to embody cask creativity merging two incredibly bold and distinctive casks together to complement each other. This is a mixture of first-fill Pedro Ximenez Puncheons and Chinquinpin American Oak, which is a native oak grown in the Ozarks, Missouri.
These two cask varieties have been married together and bottled at 57.8% as a 10-year-old. The nose is much more liquorice with a butterscotch element coming from the Chinquapin oak, it leads to become more honeycomb and orchard fruits with pears then apples.
The palate is butterscotch straight away, then with a gingery spice that is an instant balance to the sweetness of the PX characters of candied lemon and figs. The finish is longer and lingering with black fruits molasses and cinnamon which turns to a dry rich dark cocoa. A big dram loves a drop of water.
Shelf price - £79.50
Club price - £71.55
May 2025
Summery drams and a first for the club, a Single Cask Single Grain! A couple of great drams this month that are poles apart so I thought quite fun trying two that are relatively similar in taste but how they’ve come about is incredibly different.
Springbank’s next release is June so do keep your eyes peels for that. Enjoy that sunshine and drams!
Remember to use code "SCC10" for 10% discount on all our whisky's
Dram 1 - Benrinnes 8-Year-Old | Càrn Mòr
A Benrinnes from the Morrison Family’s Carn Mor Strictly limited range. The distillery is nestled in the shadow of “the Ben” and is not often found as a single malt and usually put into blended whiskies.
The distillery runs 6 stills in pairs and produces a big malty/meaty new make thanks to the rapid distillation and use of worm tubs. These are a style of condenser used to rapidly cool the spirit vapors and help reduce copper contact to ensure that weight at the heart of the spirit remains whilst still having good fragrance. This dram was distilled in 2016 and has been matured in first-fill bourbon for 8 years to give it this glorious straw colour and fresh taste. An out run of 879 bottles bottled at 47.5%.
The nose gives red apples, strawberry compote and maple vibes. On the palate it reminds me of French vanilla biscuits long du chat – with more creaminess and ripe apple coming further on. The finish has a sweet oak bite and is playfully light, a real delight for the price!
Shelf price - £47.50
Club price - £42.75
Dram 2 -Strathclyde 1994 - Aged 30 years - Little Brown Dog
This is the first for the club – a single cask single grain. From Strathclyde distillery in Glasgow distilled in 1994! This distillery traditionally made Grain Neutral Spirit, which would have been used as the base alcohol for gin and vodka, then laterally they began making more single grain whisky which was use in blended whisky when the production & demand was increased.
Now we are finding this fascinating old cask of single grain whisky at incredible prices. Distilled on the 17th of November 1994 and bottled on the 20th of February 2025 at a natural cask strength of 43.2%, having spent its years in a refill sherry butt which yielded 582 bottles. The Tunnocks Tea cask inspired label tells you a lot about the tasting notes!
The nose is brandy butter and a vanilla leather strap with a lively spirit behind it. The palate is milk chocolate, Tunnocks tea cakes, marshmallows and a sharp fruitiness like red currants. The finish is honied and salted pecans which just keeps rolling on making this incredibly drinkable!
Shelf price - £76.50
Club price - £68.85
April 2025
Spring has sprung! We’re heading to lighter “summer” whiskies. As always, this month we have quite a few new drams on the shelves and some others we’ve managed to get back including some more Blantons Gold.
So, with that we dropped the price of Blantons original to an amazing £75! We’ve also sourced a couple of new casks that we look forward to bringing into the club in a few years' time when they’re ready. However, probably the biggest change this month, the new boxes! All feedback welcome!
Remember to use code "SCC10" for 10% discount on all our whisky's
Dram 1 - Dailuaine 12-Year-Old | Finn Thomson
Back to our pal Finn of Finn Thomson Whiskies. This time, the first full Bourbon maturation Dailuaine he’s released. Looking through the archives of his great grandfather's cask purchasing records Finn discovered some casks of Dailuaine that Alexander Thomson purchased in 1903, sadly however we’re not drinking those casks - they’ve long gone into the family blends they used to produce. What this did spark from Finn, was a real interest in Dailuaine which has since become a firm favorite of his.
Right in the heart of Speyside, between Aberlour and Craigellachie, a mere stones throw over the hill from Glenallachie and just the other side of the river from Dalmunach. The long fermentation and rapid distillation with stainless steel condensers all help add some meaty weight to the new make, which helps when taking on the flavours of the Bourbon Barrel it has matured in. Distilled on the 14th of May 2012 and bottled on the 3rd of February 2025 at a natural cask strength of 55.1% vol and outrun of 255 bottles.
The nose is BIG! It screams classic Speyside malt. Nutty vanilla with a cream wood tannin back bone. The palate has weight; the coating oiliness of the spirit marries perfectly with the fresh vanilla creaminess of the bourbon weight. The finish is long and elegant, when you add a few drops of water the sweetness comes out some more and develops into a wonderfully playful yet powerful dram.
Shelf price - £74
Club price - £66.60
Dram 2 -Glentauchers 9-Year-Old | Càrn Mòr
Hailing from the distillery of Glentauchers which lies between Keith and the mighty River Spey. Like Dailuaine, traditionally used in a lot of blends like Buchanans, Black & White and Ballantines and not often seen as a full single malt.
Unlike Dailuaine, after its long fermentation it has a long still run to bring a lightness and elegance to the spirit, looking for floral notes over bigger meatier notes. Distilled in 2014 and bottled in 2024 as a 9-year-old at 47.5% vol with a couple of casks being bottled together giving the total number of bottles to 908.
On the nose pear drops, apple candied sweets and buttered pastry provide ways of flavour and depth. The palate has a lightness to it which balances the fruit forward nature of the pear and apples. The finish is flashes of vanilla between fresh tannin or the American oak oomph it carries.
Shelf price - £60
Club price - £54
March 2025
Another month and we have a couple of drams from a new bottler. This time, it's something rather fun and incredibly well priced, so make sure you grab a bargain with the club discount! Also coming this month will be the latest Daftmill Single cask. Don’t know Daftmill? It's a single farm distillery in Fife that only produce 100 casks a year, so it’s very exciting we can offer this to you.
We have also just taken delivery of a load of new whiskies just this week which include, 2 Benrinnes, a Ben Nevis, a Glen Ord, a Glentauchers, a Linkwood, a North British (32 year old single grain at £85 - seriously worth a purchase), 2 new Dailuiane’s, a 35-year-old Miltonduff and finally a 50-year-old Invergordon! Oh and also a 30-year-old Glenfarclas, a 21-year-old single cask Glenlivet, an 18-year-old PX Balvenie and a 21-year-old Arran. So, yes lots going on! The majority of the older whikises are online but if you can't see them just drop us a message!
Browse our new whisky!
Remember to use code "SCC10" for 10% discount on all our whisky's
Dram 1 - Jura 13 Year Old “Oloroso Sherry” Cask
Skene Whisky
Skene Whiskies is a new bottler to us, and these bottles are not something that you’re going to find a lot of around - especially since we bought all of Dram 2!
Founder Andrew Skene is a local chap based in Finzean, which is 6 miles from our High Street home. Dram 1 this month comes from the Hebridean island of Jura, famously with more deer than people. With it being an island dram and people think it’ll be a peat monster however this is a lighter style of whisky. This is because when the distillery was rebuilt in the 1960’s a soft dram is what was required. With a short ferment and tall stills of 7.7m! Jura wants a cask that is very active, or it needs a lot of time in wood. I have to say standard Jura is something I'm pretty eager to avoid, but this bucks that trend.
This Jura was finished in an Oloroso Sherry Octave, which is just a tiny little cask so the interaction to swift! Bottled at 48% natural colour and non-chill filtered. On the nose there is vanilla cream on a windswept west coast beach vibe, the finishing cask adds a funk of oak tannin and caramel & raisins. The palate gives a soft spice and more of an apple green freshness matched with vanilla. This finish is fresh with a touch of oak with ripe nectarine or peach style sweetness.
Shelf price - £55
Club price - £49.50
Dram 2 -Tomatin Distillery 9 Year Old Single Cask
| Skene Whisky
It’s not often we do the same distillery on back-to-back months but, I just had to. I first got a sample of this whisky a few months ago and it was good, so I bought a few cases not thinking much of it. However, when it was delivered at start of March.. my god, the cask had been busy! I swiftly opened a bottle and proceeded to buy all the available stock. What a banger for the price!
Having been in an extremely active Oloroso sherry cask, this Tomatin has been well and truly sherry bombed. Bottled as a 9-year-old at 48% the nose is demerara sugar and sticky toffee pudding with a side of sherry-soaked plums. The palate has a soft rolling spice then fires into a well-rounded sherried mouth feel, more salted tablet and sticky toffee pudding then you could shake a stick at. The finish is medium but pronounced leaving you looking for another sippy, while you reminisce of the previous taste.
Now this is a great dram when it is £39.50 on the shelf, the club price for this is £35.55.... All of that for £35! Brilliant.
February 2025
Well January raced by into February now and truly still having our Scottish winter but probably not as bad as the weather our American members are getting! Lots of new releases starting to come out, we’ve had the Lochlea 6-Year-old and now Ardmurchan Maderia cask and then later on this month we are expecting our Spring banks. Remember to keep an eye on your inboxes!
This month's drams are both from independent bottler Finn Thomson. Representing the ninth generation, Finn Thomson is a young man who has inherited his family’s 300-year-old passion for whisky. Thirsty to pair passion with knowledge, Finn sought opportunities to learn every aspect of the bottler’s craft: spending time with Miguel Torres in Spain and Casa Pedro Domecq in Mexico, as well as tutelage from some of Britain’s best-known Scotch whisky merchants.
Fuelled by the natural instinct for creativity and entrepreneurship that has pulsed through Thomson veins for centuries, Finn is now embarking on his biggest adventure yet. With a reverence for those who have walked before him, Finn Thomson is bringing new life to the family business. The story continues for the next generations, and we are proud to be stocking his whiskies here at the Strong water co.
Remember to use code "SCC10" for 10% discount on all our whiskys
Dram 1 - Tomatin 8 Year Old - Red Wine Barrique
Starting off with a Tomatin 8-Year-Old, bottled at full natural cask strength of 57% ABV and finished off in a red wine barrique. Distilled on the 29/10/2015 and bottled on the 27/08/2024 with an outrun of 281 bottles. Tomatin distillery is a single malt distillery in the village of Tomatin, 25 minutes south of Inverness. With the location of the distillery this comes under the Highland region of whiskies.
In 1892 their was an announcement that the final route of the Highland Railway would pass through Tomatin. Local man John MacDougall, who was Tomatin born and bred, began planning the distillery and it was first registered on the 8th of June 1897, however closed in 1906. It wasn't closed for long as it was bought by an experience wine and spirits merchants in 1909, bringing the distillery back into operation with 2 stills capable of producing 225,000 litres of alcohol per year. However, in the 1980s recession saw several distilleries close including Tomatin.
This didn't last long as Tomatin was the largest and most efficient distillery in Scotland with state-of-the-art technology. In February 1986 two Japanese companies Takara Shuzo and Okura & Co, purchased the distillery from the Tomatin Distillery Co and they remain the current owners.
This Tomatin has had a full maturation in a French Red Wine cask. Eight years of ageing have produced incredible balance from a cask type that is notoriously difficult to work with. There is a creaminess of texture and a warming spice that defy the young age of this whisky. Rounded and remarkably even, this whisky is a shining example of when wine casks pay off, and a personal tribute to Finn’s grandfather’s era in the wine industry.
Shelf Price - £67.50
Club Price - £60.75
Dram 2 -Aultmore 11-year-old Finn Thomson
Sticking with an independent bottling from Finn Thomson, dram 2 is a Aultmore 11-year-old. Bottled at full natural cask strength of 54.8%, distilled on 05/02/2013 and bottled on 27/08/2024 from a Torres red wine cask. Total outrun for this bottling was 310 bottles.
Aultmore is a distillery in Keith, Moray, in a secluded spot by the winding Buckie Road in the sweeping hills of Moray. Making this a Speyside malt. Its name is a derived from the phrase An-t-Allt Mor, Gaelic for big burn, referring to its water source the Auchinderran burn. Founded in 1897 by Alexander Edward, one of Scotland’s best-known distillers, during the peak of the late – Victorian whisky boom, the current owners are Bacardi who took over in 1998.
The quality and influence of the wine cask is clear to see here - a bright red glow has been imbued along with the subtle tannins and red berry notes we would expect from a Torres red wine, which are all very clear on the nose, with even slight hints of caramel and banoffee Aultmore as a distillery produces a light, grassy style of whisky that allows it to take on the full effect of the casks chosen for its ageing.
Shelf price £82.50
Club price £74.25
January 2025
Happy New Year!
First, apologies we’re a bit late. We were closed until the 16th and Mungo was away on Honeymoon, all back now and raring to go! So, to make up for this, here are a couple of absolute bangers to start the year off!
Remember to use code "SCC10" for 10% discount on all our whiskys
Dram 1 - Ardnamurchan 10 Year Old
Ardnamurchan, is a wee distillery tucked away on the most Westerly mainland point of Scotland where people are well outnumbered by Red Deer.
A sustainable distillery that has led the way in changing the front for this in Independant distilleries in Scotland. After their launch in 2013 they have released some fantastic drams and now is the big moment that they last year released their first every 10-Year-Old. Ardnamurchan produces both peated and unpeated spirit, this release is made up from 100% unpeated spirit that has been matured in a combination of ex Bourbon Barrels and Paul Launois Champagne Barriques which gives it a lovely tropical fruit style with a waxy body.
The nose is ripe mangos, pineapple and bags of honey sugar. The palate is waxy and full of more of that honey coming through. I feel the start you get a slight dunnage warehouse funk, which swiftly moves to tropical fruit sweetness and a tangy oak tannin. The second sip is so much softer. More vanilla, gingerbread and softer oak tannin bringing the balance. The finish brings back the slight oak funk from warehousing which swings in harmony with the pineapple & cedar wood waves. Great depth, and longer than expected.
Shelf price - £72.50
Club price - £65.25
Dram 2 -The Hearach " First Fill Oloroso Cask Matured"
Another west coaster and another first release. This time our pals at the Isle of Harris Distillery with the Hearach Oloroso release. The First release of Hearach was the hottest ticket in whisky in October 2023, thankfully now a little easier to get a hold of and keep on the shelves!
This uses first fill oloroso sherry casks combined with their gloriously peated Hearach spirit to produce a dried fruit, beach bonfire style dram. Using a mix of distillates 40% 70-hour Fermentation and 60% 120-hour fermentation using 100% Concerto & Laureate Scottish barley at a peating of 12-15ppm of peat. This subtle peated spirit married with the elegance of the 500L casks chosen by José Miguel Martìn coopered in Bolludos Par Del Condado, Huelva, Spain.
The nose has lovely soft aromas of cinnamon and orange with a bit of a herbiness with butter cream/ Cointreau butter. There is an orange peel oiliness that pairs with the sweeter sherry cask notes that help balance the palate. The smoke comes across as a gentle woodsmoke that builds in volume to reach the perfect crescendo of harmonic sweetness and smoke. The finish is lengthy but subtle, the gentle wood smoke wallows away leaving a soft dried fruits & leather finish.
Shelf price £75
Club price £67.50
Another year fades and we celebrate a brilliant year of our Single Cask Club, we thank you the members for the continued support throughout the year!
Larger allocations of all our favourites and more whisky in more glasses, we’re all a happy bunch!
The 29th of November marked the 5th Birthday of the shop on Banchory High Street, an idea of mine that together with Mungo (my brother) we brought to reality.
We’re very excited to see what 2025 holds, we’re working rather hard on some of that already!
Dram 1 - Glen Garioch 10-year-old 5th Anniversary Bottling
A larger bottle...? Well, it is Christmas! This glorious little number is drawn from a cask that I choose in the warehouse of our pals over at Little Brown Dog! From a selection of a dozen Glen Garioch casks all filled on the 17th of November 2014 into first fill bourbon Hogsheads this was the clear stand out for me, but we had a little waiting to do for its 10th birthday!
A shop exclusive, a 1st fill Bourbon Hogshead. Distilled 17th November 2014 and I bottled this on the 18th of November 2024 at 10 years and a day with the cask producing 282 bottles. The natural cask strength after its 10 years was 57.4% which I elected to bring down to 50% as I felt it carried the citrus a little more at the lower ABV. To me this cask was the exact expression of Glen Garioch that I wanted, enough of that classic spice but with more vanilla, apple and creamy mouth feel I was looking for.
My tasting notes...?
Nose - Buttered Balmoral bread, vanilla, apple tarte tatin, orange spice.
Palate - Rolling spice with more apples and pears rolled in fresh vanilla and charred oak.
Finish - Now more caramel, slightly burnt toffee with a lingering spice balance.
On the shelf at £65.
Club price £58.50 - ripper dram at that price!
Dram 2 - Williamson 2015 Sherry Hogshead
If you’ve opened the bottle already you will have had a face full of smoke already! A first for the club this one, a Laphroaig.. Well strictly speaking it's a “Williamson” distilled at Laphroaig Distillery on Islay. Indy bottlers can’t use the name for trademark reasons.
This number was distilled in 2015 and has been matured in a few sherry hogshead to provide balance to the weight and muscle of that peat smoke. Bottled as a 9-year-old in 2024 at 47.5% ABV with a total number of bottles being 1623. Big peated whiskies are all fine and well but for me, they have-to-have balance and this comes in the form of sherry maturation. Hurray!
On the nose it is it's like a damp coal fire, a day-old cigar and some damp timber. But there is sweetness and some subtly in the background, you do have to go looking for it though! The palate is as you would imagine, its full. Phenolic, rich peat smoke coming in waves. There is some apricot and stone fruit balance as the peat fades and allows some subtly to arrive... The finish, looooong. Lingering. But lighter then expected which a pleasing fruity aspect.
Shelf price - £78.50
Club price - £70.65
A mass of interesting drams coming to the table currently, with some super Glenallachie allocations recently and with another Springbank allocation en route, I believe this is going to be the largest allocation we have received to date, so thank you! I know distilleries love the fact that we have an engage group of whisky drinkers and a lot of these whisky’s barely seen on shelves are getting to the hands of the people they will drink them. Fantastic!
This month brings a couple of drams from Finn Thomson. So, both single cask and full cask strength! Finn Thomson is the 9th generation of the Thomson’s to be in the whisky industry, originally blenders with brands like BenEagles and Peter Thomson everything Finn now does is Single Cask & Cask Strength bringing the individual elements that used to go into the blends but now as these snap shots of single cask brilliance.
Dram 1 - Pitilie 9-year-old Finn Thomson
Pitilie – This is another name that can be used for Aberfeldy. Pitilie was a distillery that was just around the corner to Aberfeldy built in 1852 and only stood to 42 years for most of which it was silent. I think this is a nice touch to the past, which is like everything that Finn does, respecting the past.
Distilled on the 29th of January 2015 and bottled on the 27th of August 2024 at 9 years old at a natural cask strength of 58.4% with an outrun of 175 bottles, after an initial maturation in bourbon before being finished in Tokaji which is a Hungarian dessert wine full of tropical fruit and vanilla notes.
Red currants on the nose with hints of vanilla and light oak. The palate shows more fruit towards pineapple and mango style tropical fruits with a tingling tannin tartness. The finish is more vanilla with sweetness, with a creamy lingering end.
Shelf price - £75
Club price - £67.50
Dram 2 - Tomatin 8 Year Old - Red Wine Barrique
Tomatin. Peter Thomson Ltd, Finn’s Grandfather was also a Wine Merchant and a large distributor of French red wine. Red wine barriques can be a tricky cask to manage with over tannin always a worry and spirit character becoming hidden by an over influential cask. Here, they are in harmony.
Distilled on the 29th of August 2015 and bottled on the 27th of August 2024 as an 8-year-old after a full maturation in a French Red Wine Barrique bottled at a natural cask strength of 57% with the cask producing 281 bottles.
On the nose, there is notes of over ripe strawberries, crème brulèe & toffee. The palate is piney citrus, grapefruit acidity with a rolling spice. The finish is spicy again, the volume coming through and really carrying the length.
Shelf price - £67.50
Club price - £60.75
Copy of October, nights are fair drawin in! Rowan trees are full, and the farmers are whispering we’re in for a harsh winter... I best get some big sherry bombs and restorative drams in the wings to keep everyone warm.
Some new releases to the website you may not have seen. 2 brand new Single Cask releases from Ballindalloch firstly an Oloroso Sherry Butt and a First-fill Bourbon Hoghead. Only their second releases of Single Cask juice and it's just as good as the first!
Hearach Oloroso Sherry – in-store and online. Think dark chocolate and honeycomb with a light layer of peat.
Raasay Dun Cana – Raasay Oloroso Sherry release. More Salinity then the Hearach and a bit more of a bite.
Lochlea Fallow Edition 2024 – you guessed it something something Oloroso sherry Cask, something something PX.... Its juicy, Raisin'd with bags of muscovado sugar.
Both drams this month are from our pals Morrison Distillers and their Carn Mor Strictly Limited Range... But will there be Oloroso...?
Copy of Dram 1 - Glen Elgin - First - Fill Bourbon
Copy of Glen Elgin First-Fill Bourbon. Getting sweetness but not from sherry... a complicated distillery based in Fogwatt just South of Elgin, very near BenRiach for reference. A lovely fruity spirit created using a clear wart, a 90-hour fermentation, a slow distillation to clear out the sulphur and then using worm tub condensers to add weight and meatiness at the end. Currently owned by Diagio and a big component in White Horse blend, a classic for the club – Not often seen as a full single malt! Lovely!
(although I do currently have 2 other single cask, cask strength Glen Elgin’s in....)
Distilled in 2017 and bottled in 2024 as a 6-year-old after a full matuation in first-fill bourbon, bottled at 47.5% ABV with an outrun of 648 bottles. Pear drops, barley and green apple citrus fill the nose. The palate is sweet and bright with a meaty back bone which gives touches of vanilla and toffee, the finish is a lovely lingering sweet freshness with the occasional waft of oak.
A great little dram!
Shelf price £53.50
Club price £48.15
Copy of Dram 2- Dalmunach Oloroso Sherry Butt
Copy of Dalmunch, built on the former site of the Imperial distillery on the North bank of the River Spey. Dailiaune to just across the river to one side and Glenfarclas to the other, so we’re right in the guts of it all! Owned by Pernot Ricard the during the boom of 2013 they were deciding what to do with the Imperial site that had laid dormant for some time and came to the decision instead of a complete overhaul they’d knock it down and start again... Very French. So in 2013 lead by a chap called Douglas Cruickshank who happened to have his first job in the whisky industry aged 15 at Imperial lead the way. The red Aberdeen brick was kept to create a sympathtic entrance and the wood from the Washback’s has been used to clad the walls in the Tun room. Doesn’t effect what the Whisky tastes like though does it! Now Dalmunach is a fairly large distillery with 16 stainless steel wash backs, a fermentation of 54 hours and onion/tulip shaped stills together this helps create a meaty and heavy spirit.
And you know what heavy spirit is perfect for...? OLOROSO SHERRY!! YAY
This dram was distilled in 2015, bottled in 2024 as an 8-year-old after a full maturation in first-fill Oloroso Sherry Butt’s with an outrun of 1756 bottles at 47.5% ABV.
The nose is malt loaf, chocolate orange and soft spice.
The palate is more chocolate and more chocolate, then rum soaked raisins, dates and sticky brown sugar.
The finish is more of the same, and a lovely length. A touch of tanin then back to sherry. I think this is great for the money. Soooo,
I’ve bought quite a bit of it!
Shelf price - £56
Club price - £50.40
Copy of Frost this morning heat wave next week. Mungo’s all-weather chat and I’ve gone for a couple of Autumnal drams to smooth things over.
GlenAllachie 35-Year-olds are pretty special and didnt last long! We are trying to source some more!
Remember to use your Single Cask Discount code for 10% off bottles of whisky.
Copy of Dram 1 -Benrinnes 8 Year-old Sherry Butt
Copy of A Benrinnes from the Provenance range of Douglas Laing. Based in the North shadow of its namesake mountain. A distillery that produces huge amounts for blending due to its big heavy and oil new make character created by dumpy stills and very cold worm tub condensors.
Distilled in May 2014 and bottled in January 2023 at 46% after a full maturation in a refill Sherry Butt with an out run of 798 bottles. The nose is honey’d barley, dark toffee and milk chocolate. The palate is thicker and oilier than expected, carrying great weight of sherry with spiced oak and some raisin/apricot dried fruit. The finish is lengthy and warm with more raisins and almost slight plums.
Shelf price £49.50
Club price £44.55
Copy of Dram 2 - Highland Park 8 Year Old - Single Cask
Copy of A new bottler to the club. Finn Thompson, whisky has run in the Thompson family for the past 9 generation and Finn is that latest to bring some brilliant single cask, cask strength ideas to the market. With bottlings up to 50 years old, yes 50! He has a single cask Glenlivet that after 50 years yielded 126 bottles.... and we have one, do get in touch!
This one unfortunately isn't a 50-year-old... It's an 8-year-old Highland Park. Not often you see Highland Park that isn’t teaspooned, so this is brilliant! Finn first tried this cask as a 6-year-old and thought a drop of sweetness would go a long way, so it spent the next 2 years in a Maderia cask. Highland Park’s level of peating is something that matches this perfectly, the Orcadian Peat made from Sphagnum moss and Heather is floral and light which brings great balance to the sweet Maderia.
Distilled on 22nd of April 2016 and bottled on the 23rd of June 2024 at a cask strength of 54.7% with an out run of 343 bottles. First, in the glass the colour is fantastic! Rose gold, almost like a good Southern French Rosè wine! The nose gives you that tease of soft smoke and boiled sweets. The palate gives great aromatic peat initially, then great spice rolling across your tongue, to black pepper and bramble fruit. The finish gives the spice cupboard of cinnamon and nutmeg and a fresh sweetness.
Shelf price £72.50
Club price £65.25
Copy of So..those of you who got one of the Kyrö’s from Little Brown Dog...that's something a bit different isn’t it! Malted rye Finnish Whisky finished in a cognac cask! Bonkers, but brilliant.
This month we have a brace of summer drams, playful light numbers to be shared with pals.
Coming later this week - watch out for the latest Springbank Ballot! We’ve got a great allocation this time round!
Remember to use your Single Cask Discount code for 10% off bottles of whisky.
Copy of Dram 1 -Auchroisk 7 Year Old - First-Fil Sherry Butt
Copy of From our pal Morrison Distillers Carn Mor range this Auchroisk [Orth-rusk] is a beefy, malty slightly honeyed number. Auchroisk is between Keith and Boat-a-brig on the River Spey, a distillery that is mainly used for blending. Its spirit is design to be big, bold and heavy. A rapid mash and quick fermentation give it the best start, then at the wash stills they use a rapid boiling regime which pretty much cooks any solids left in the wart leading to some solids being carried over. All of this creates a big heavy spirit perfect for sherry casks! It’s fairly like Blair Athol in new make style, but maybe just a little less sexy of a distillery.
This dram has had a full maturation in a first-fill sherry butt, a 475-500 litre barrel. It has been bottled as a 7-year-old at 47.5% with an out run of 1638 bottles.
The nose is honey, nutty & meaty. Almost beefy biltong with a slight dried grass leading to a soft pine resin. The palate is kind of chewy but light, its caramelly and woody straight away with a soft spice. Its lovely light and summery with a soft vanilla barley sugar.
The finish is medium and light and the soft spice rolling away leading to a vanilla stop.
Shelf Price - £60
Club Price - £54
Copy of Dram 2 - Drookit Dug Batch 2 - Little Brown Dog
Copy of Little Brown Dog – Drookit Dug [Wet Dog]. The little brother of the other limited release blend they do, the Wee Mongrol. A vatting of Bourbon and Sherry casks with a minimum age of 8 years old.
The youngest spirit in the cask was distilled on the 24th of March 2016 but there is also a good bit of older tackle in this too. A high malt blend of at least 70% malt gives a real softness and makes it incredibly drinkable at 45.3% ABV.
The playful little dram’s nose is tropical fruits, a slightly waxy note with a hickory/apple wood tannin softness. The palate, its honey, its chocolate, its barley spices with a bit of wood and a decent length finish. It's an absolute banger for a sub £45 bottle of whisky.
Unfortunately, there is very little on this one so we can’t do the usual 10%... it's already at a banger of a price at £44.50!
Copy of July’s drams. I had to go for cask strength numbers this month to keep us warm from the rain and cold! Great for ducks, terrible for summer activities.
I am aware I’m always moaning about the weather!
One thing I won’t moan about is that we’ve released some mega bottles into the Single Cask Club in the last month and it’s great so many of you have been able to get a bottle!
We’ve got some Glenallachie 21 coming at the end of the month as well as the next releases from Little Brown Dog, I’ve had a sneak peek and they're anything but sh*t!
We’ll pop an email out to you guys to have a look at them before they go on general sale.
Remember to use your Single Cask Discount code for 10% off bottles of whisky.
Copy of Dram 1 -Lochlea Cask Strength - Second Release
Copy of The second release in the line of Lochlea Cask Strength releases. Lochlea is a single farm distillery in Ayrshire.
They grow the barley, distil and mature all on site. Formerly the farm where famous Scottish poet Robbie Burns was raised, they converted the piggery on the farm into the distillery all headed up by ex-Laphroaig Distillery Manager John Campbell. The spirit Lochlea produce is light and fragrant focusing on barley and citrusy notes.
Cask Strength Batch 2 is a mixture of PX, Oloroso and STR (Shaved, Toasted & Re-charred) casks bottle at 60%. The nose is apple, marmalade and peach syrup moving to rose petals, wild lavender and dark chocolate on the palate. The finish is a welcome black pepper spice to balance the sweetness but with the class dried fruit sherried finish.
Shelf Price - £66
Club Price - £59.40
Copy of Dram 2 - Lindores Sherry Butt Release 2
Copy of Lindores Abbey. The spiritual home of Scotch Whisky. Lindores Abby (Church by the water) looking over the River Tay estuary was founded in 1191 by David Earl of Huntingdon.
The earliest record of distilling in Scotland, written in the Exchequer Roll, comes from here when in 1484 King James IV ordered Brother John Cor, a monk at Lindores Abbey, to turn 8 bolls of barely into Aqua Vitae (now known as Whisky). This was about 500kg of barley which made about 400 bottles of whisky.
Some 533 years later in 2017 Drew McKenzie Smith now the “Custodian of Lindores”, began making whisky on the site again.
This dram is the ‘Lindores Abbey Sherry Butt Release 2’. Distilled and matured on site in a mixture of Oloroso, STR Wine Barriques and Bourbon really shows off some meaty power at a bottle strength of 49.4%. The nose is dates, figs, molasses, vanilla ice cream and dark chocolate. The palate is more of the same with soft raisins, dates, dark chocolate and cinnamon spice with a silky soft mouth feel. The finish is medium long with dried fruits and a lot more of the same as before! Lovely.
Shelf price - £60
Club price - £54
Copy of Can you believe we are already into June? The weather certainly doesn't feel like its summer!
This month we've got drams from Independent bottlers Douglas Laing and Cooper's Choice .
We've also got the Springbank and new bottling from Little Brown Dog ballots coming out so look out in your emails.
Remember to use your Single Cask Discount code for 10% off bottles of whisky.
Copy of Dram 1 -Dailaine 8 Year Old
Copy of Douglas Laing are family owned and operated third generation independent bottlers, in fact one of Scotland’s oldest independent bottlers.
Dailuaine Distillery is based in the shadows of Ben Reinnes in Speyside, on the south side of the river not to far from Macallan Distillery.
A distillery equipped with 6 large stills, their process is a long fermentation and a rapid distill which creates this big heavy malty spirit. The majority of Dailuaine’s spirit is used in blends and often found in the Flora and Fauna range.
However here we have a single cask 8 year old Dailuaine from the Provenance range of Douglas Laing. Distilled in June 2014, bottled at 46% ABV in August 2022 with 393 bottles produced from the refill hogshead, all natural colour and no chill filter.
Tastings Notes
Nose-
Citrus barley with brown sugar and a slight ginger spice giving off green freshness.
Taste -
Creamy maltiness, soft spices with vanilla. A great summer dram!
Finish-
Soft, long , warming with a cereal note carrying all the way through. A great youthful bright fun dram!
Shelf price - £47.50
Club price - £42.75
Copy of Dram 2 - Glenturret 2013
Copy of From Coopers Choice - an independent bottlers founded in Glasgow back in 1992, who quickly grew a name for themselves with some of their rare bottling including such distillers as Ardbeg, Springbank and Port Ellen. In recent years they’ve started to release lots of wine cask finishes which have seen a second maturation.
Glenturret is based in Crieff, west of Perth. A little distillery with a farmyard feel with it, including wooden wash backs but the spirit in character is light, acidic and intense.
Distilled in March 2013, bottled in 2022 at 9 years old after maturing in a Bourbon barrel. The outrun was 360 bottles at 58% ABV.
Tasting Notes
Nose-
Smoked Bacon crisps, wood smoke, maple , citrus and a lovely earthy vanilla aroma
Taste-
Oaky spice, sweet oak, five spices, smoked caramel, toffee and vanilla. Chewy but light and fragrent
Finish-
Long, lingering, produces a sharpness around the tongue. All very well balanced.
Shelf price - £75
Club price - £67.50
Copy of Well, that's been a few nice days of sunshine!
This month we've got a couple of Douglas Laing drams both single cask refill hogsheads but with very different styles!
Ardnahoe Inaugural release I hope everyone saw the ballot email!
Remember to use your Single Cask Discount code for 10% off bottles of whisky.
Copy of Dram 1 -Glenglassaugh 8 Year Old
Copy of From the far Northwest reaches of Aberdeenshire nestles the picturesque distillery of Glenglassaugh, on the outskirts of Portsoy. Originally built in 1874 buy a local James Moir it ran for 18 years before falling a victim to the early 1900’s drop. It was reopened some years later but then again in the 1970s it was seen as surplus due to the difficulty of blending the spirit. The unique medium bodied, very fruity and floral spirit with a heavily honeyed note is where it found its downfall.
It was then bought again in 2008 by a Russian firm who rebuild and subsequently sold it BenRiach Distillers – Billy Walker’s gang. Being distilled in 2015 this spirit was made under the watchful eye of Billy, cool! After 8 years maturation in a refill hogshead this dram was bottled without colouring or chill filtration to a bottle strength of 46% ABV with an out run of 351 bottles.
The nose is full of fresh citrus, brown sugar and honeycomb. On the palate it shows warming honey immediately with a hint of fresh mint and lemon peel giving balance, you can see how it's hard to hide it in a blend! This honeyed note becomes softer with some spice and warm barley notes. The finish is the same as what's come before but with some buttered pastry fluffiness.
A lively little summer dram.
Shelf price - £58.50
Club price - £52.65
Copy of Dram 2 - Jura 12 Year Old
Copy of From the wee West coast island of Jura is this 10-year-old from the Clan Denny range of Douglas Laing.
Jura’s distilling history in Craighouse dates to as early as 1810 and has the classic story of various owners and moth balls until it finally released its first single malt in 1974 and the current distillery was built in the 1960’s backed by a larger blender. The spirit was designed with a short fermentation and very high stills 7.7m to add rigidity and weight which meant it needed very active casks or a good few years to fully develop.
This was distilled in June of 2009 and bottled in March of 2022 at at 48% after 12 years full maturation in a refill bourbon hogshead with an outrun of 285 bottles.
Two very light drams this month with such contrasting styles!
The nose is sweet brown sugar, heavier butterscotch turning to buttered brown bread or raw pumpkin pie batter. The palate is thick, much thicker than expected. Honeyed cream, but not like Glenglassaugh. It shows fresh active tannins that bouncy around the mouth in a welcome fashion to balance the sweetness. Soft cinnamon and possible cardamon are also there. The finish is buttercream ice-cream, toasted brown bread and gristly barley.
Shelf price - £58.50
Club price - £52.65
Copy of Hoping this month brings the start of the sunshine and with that a couple of slightly more summery drams to try and encourage it along!
Ballots for first release Strathearn this morning which is exciting as well as a few new lines added to the range including new faces from Ballindalloch Distillery in Speyside.
Remember to use your Single Cask Discount code for 10% off bottles of whisky.
Copy of Dram 1 -Dailuaine 9 Year-old Oloroso Sherry
Copy of From the Auld Goonsy’s range with great Dailuaine which sits in the shadow of Benrinnnes in Speyside. Using a long fermentation and a rapid distillation to force through a lot of heavy malty character through the stills matched with stainless steel condenser to limit copper contact.
This single cask, cask strength Dailuaine was distilled on the 26th of August 2013 and bottled on the 6th of February 2023 after a maturation in a 2nd fill Oloroso sherry hogshead with an out run of 309 bottles at a natural strength of 57.8% ABV.
The nose is full of buttery, big meaty Soren malt loaf and granary loaf with lemon and citrus barley notes. The palate is super malty, the weight hides the alcohol well. It becomes more stewed ginger with citrus still apparent. The finish is spiced dried fruits, sweet tea and candied apple.
Shelf price - £49.50
Club price - £44.55 - limited stock, absolute bargain.
Copy of Dram 2 - Glenlossie 2013 Red Wine Barrique
Copy of Glenlossie from Morrison Distillers Carn Mor Strictly Limited range. Sharing the same site as Mannochmore, Glenlossie is mainly used as a big blending component for Diageo blends, with the use of its purifier pipes which take heavier alcohols back to the body of the still be to redistilled it has an oily and textured spirits which is why it is so good for blending, but it also means it absolutely loves wood!
This single cask, cask strength version was distilled in 2013 and bottled in 2023 as a 10-year-old having been finished in a red wine barrique with an out run of 243 bottles being bottled at a natural cask strength of 58.7%. The nose is dates, figs and blackcurrants with almost a treacle sponge sweetness. The palate is very creamy with ripe red fruits, apricots and short bread. The finish is more berries, demerara sugar and a creme brule creamy sweetness.
Shelf Price - £72.50
Club price - £65.25
Copy of Teaninich was an absolute hoot! Its popularity caught me a little off guard I’ll admit, I shall bear this in mind going forward. I do agree it’s a cracker, so when there are new interesting releases, I shall be sure to grab a few more cases to fill a few more glasses.
Thanks to all those who went for the Springbanks, as ever a roaring success and we will endeavour to try to increase allocations of them. The 26th of this month brings the release date of the next batch of ‘The Hearach’ from the Isle of Harris Distillery.
Members as usual, will be given exclusive access to the stock before it goes on general sale so keep an eye on your emails if you're keen on that! We will be able to ship to both UK & US customers. Anyhoooo, onto our March drams....
Copy of Dram 1 - Probably Orkney's Finest - Provenance Douglas Laing
Copy of Coming from the Provenance line of Douglas Laing, third-generation family-owned distillers and bottlers of whisky, this “Probably Orkney’s Finest” is just an independently bottled Highland Park (legally they can’t use the name Highland Park).
What I love about Highland Park is the use of Orcadian Peat made of millions of years of plant decay from the island. Peat from Islay is full of phenolic notes from sea weeds and other marine material, Highland peat has far more trees and bushes so it is more bonfirey (if that’s a word) with its style.
Orcadian peat has heather and sphagnum mosses so brings a light, aromatic and fragrant style to the barley. Burning this peat in their own kiln and using only 20% peated malt per mash it allows a glorious fragrance to be adopted by the whisky.
This dram was distilled in January of 2015 and bottled in June of 2023 at a bottled strength of 46% at 8 years-old having been matured in a refill sherry butt with an outrun of 791 bottles. The nose is cocoa powder with a gloriously earthy heart, damp oak with a good bit of woody funk all matched well with a welcome salty bite. The palate is cinnamon, soft caramel, plums and stewed fruits then a whallop of salty seaside.
The finish is classic sherry in style, creamy and full of a soft spicing with the sweetness if salted caramel.
Shelf price - £57.50
Club price - £51.75
Copy of Dram 2 - Coal Ila 9 Year-old Amontillado Sherry
Copy of Caol Ila from the Auld Goonsey’s range. Caol Ila has a fresh pear, grassy almost juniper style with an iconic smokiness and maritime feel. Caol Ila uses the same level of peated barley as sister distillery Lagavulin but with a longer fermentation, a higher cut point and taller still all helping to reduce the heavy phenols to give a lighter style of smoke.
This bottling was distilled on the 29th of August 2013 and bottled on the 6th of February 2023 at a natural cask strength of 58.4% having been finished in a 1st fill Amontillado Sherry hogshead producing 299 bottles.
Amontillado sherry is a darker than it’s very dry brother Fino but lighter than Oloroso. The nose here is pipe smoke and beach bonfire with a great meaty umami heart. It shows a nutty edge also - smoked almonds. The palate is creamy, with a subtle yet powerful smoke body balanced well by dark chocolate tones.
The finish is sweeter, more peppery and the nuts are now more roasted chestnuts or hazelnuts.
Shelf price - £69.50
Club price - £62.55
Copy of February 2024 Month 26
January felt like it flew by, which was great! The Six Nations has started, the snow drops are coming and Spring isn’t far away!
Welcome to some new members this month, across the pond! A slightly slow start with some customs hold-ups but now thankfully all running smoothly!
Don't forget to use your Single cask club discount codes, all our friends from across the pond please contact us regarding shipping and we will arrange a deal for you guys!
Happy dramming!
Copy of Dram 1 - Carn Mor 9 Year Old Teaninich
Copy of Coming from the Carn Mor Range of Morrison Distillers this wonderful Teaninich hails from Alness just north of Inverness, one of Diageo's work horse distilleries but I think this is an unsung gem.
Using a mash filter instead of a mash tun for the efficiencies of the distillery is a rarity in whisky. Used a lot in the brewing world this technique allows them to use a lot more flour for the wart giving a greater extraction from the barley. This coupled with fat stills gives a fragrant, exotic and grassy new make while still having weight and some oiliness.
Distilled in 2013 and bottled in 2023 as a 9-year-old with an out run of 1174 bottles at 47.5% ABV in natural colour and non-chill filtered. The nose is vanilla, melon and brioche buns with fresh tropical fruit notes. The palate is pears, melon and vanilla with some oak tannins providing balance. The finish is sweet, subtle barley and lingering vanilla closing well with fresh oak.
Shelf Price - £72.50
Club price - £65.25
Copy of Dram 2 - Isle of Raasay. The Dùn Cana
Copy of One of my favourite new distilleries from the past few years, Isle of Raasay. The Dùn Cana meaning “dun” Strong hold in Gaelic and “Cana” being a legendary Norse prince who used to hold Raasay during the Viking times, Dùn Cana is also the name of the flat-topped volcano on Raasay.
Raasay’s new make involves a long fermentation, a cooling jacket on the wash stills lyne arm and an upwards facing lyne arm on the spirit still creating a clean and fruity spirit. This bottling has a mixture of peated and non-peated spirit having had a primary maturation in American Rye barrels before being finished in PX & Oloroso Sherry Quarter Casks.
Bottled at 52% ABV, natural colour and non-chill filtered. The nose is green peppery spice, rich dried fruits, salty sea wood smoke, roasted nuts. The palate is vanilla toffee, charred oak with a soft peaty body and soft spice. The finish is sweet, warm softly spiced matching this glorious sweetness with a slightly dunnage warehouse oak funk. Great.
Shelf price - £85
Club Price - £76.50
Copy of January 2024 Month 25
Ahoy! Welcome back, or welcome for the first time – great Christmas present! January... the days are getting longer, it's almost light having breakfast and at some point, it might stop raining. Maybe I shouldn’t get too excited for that.
We've got 2 great easy-going drams this month to ease us into the year, one which I hope will bring lots of excitement and tastebud adventures.
Remember to use code "SCC10" for 10% discount on all our whiskys
Copy of Dram 1 - Carn Mor - Glencadam 11 Year Old
Copy of This is from Morrison Distillers Carn Mor range, and it is from Glencadam, just over the hill from us in Brechin. Glencadam is known its glorious new make nose and style of flowers and pear drops. With an upward facing lyne arm as well as a few other tricks to maximise the flex in the still their aim is to create a very light and delicate style of new make.
Distilled in 2011 and bottled 2023 after maturation in a refill bourbon barrel with an outrun of 544 bottles at 47.5% ABV this 11-year-old has been given time to develop on that gloriously soft new make into this beauty of a dram. On the nose it is wafts of bananas sweets, sweet vanilla, lemon zest and banoffee pie. The palate is like bottled whisky banana bread with bags of sweet vanilla malt – lots of sweet things but enough tannin from the barrel for the structure. The finish is more of the same, it's not hugely complex it is just a solid hitting Glencadam. Banana, vanilla & oaky spice to finish. Lovely.
Shelf price £65
Club price £58.50
Copy of Dram 2 -Auchroisk 13 Year Old
Copy of
Auchroisk! Auld Goonsey’s malt – with their range it is all, single cask, cask strength and I think marvellous value! Auchroisk isn’t well known for its single malt as its mostly used for blending due to its heavy new make. A rapid mashing and quick fermentation mixed with a rapid boil in the wash still which carried over a lot of weight. The new make is almost semi honeycombed in style with a big malt loaf gut...
This was distilled on the 7th of September 2009 and bottled on the 6th of February 2023 at 13 years old and at 54.5% ABV. Primary maturation was in a refill hogshead before being re-racked into a first fill port hogshead – a winning combo...? The nose is golden syrup, toffee and gingerbread which is matched with a lovely musky wood. The palate is thick and malty, oranges, oak and a malt load grape-y sweetness. Serious. The palate is almonds, praline and sweet & sour sweets. Basically, it's a pudding whisky with a bit of punch.
Shelf price - £70
Club price - £63
